CHAPTER 6
WILLOW.
Tears stung the base of my eyes, threatening to roll down. I sniffled them in.
All I wanted was to get to know him, to not behave like the self-centered introvert. All I wanted was to build a good relationship with him to avoid getting Mother in trouble. Here I am, standing in the cold night, with tears blurring my gaze.
I should have stayed back in my room. I should have ignored the gnawing feeling I felt, probably because there was a CCTV camera watching my every movement.
I felt trapped. I needed air, so I came out.
I shook off my thoughts and crouched back on the stairs, sitting in the corner. It was barely two complete days here, and I was already missing home.
Sure it wasn't as big as here, but it was comfortable—one that made me feel protected and not like a caged-up bird.
Only if I had earned more, maybe Mom wouldn't have thought of getting married.
I let out a long sigh.
No matter what I did, I could never be enough and it would always be my fault.
I turned back to the door, opting to return.
Somehow the outside felt safer and less twisted, but it still doesn't mean it's harmless.
I hurried up, stepping into the dark sitting room.
"Stay away from her." The voice thudded through the air. I lifted my gaze to the two figures who stood on the stairs, glaring at each other.
"Then tell her to stop coming in front of me," Asher said, calmly.
"You both live in the same house, how can you not always run into her and not—" Stepfather halted, but somehow I knew what his unspoken words were.
Him. Why didn't I run into him?
"Jealous?" Asher snickered. "I can't help it if your little puppet doesn't abide by your rules, Richard." He stalked off, vanishing into the dark shadows. My gaze settled on Richard, who was already glaring down at me.
"You don't listen." His gravel voice poured over me like ice. Then his gaze turned darker. "You will learn the hard way."
I didn't reply, and he walked off.
My gaze lingered on the spot he once stood, and where Asher disappeared too. They were gone, or rather, out of my sight.
Slowly, I crept back into my room, tossing the duvet over my head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
ASHER
I watched her walk back to her room, shoulders slumped. She looked tired, not physically, the kind where you try to fight off the chaotic drama that wove itself into your life.
Unfortunately, she was already entangled in the web.
My gaze slid over to where Richard had bolted to.
I wasn't even shocked when he spoke. I had lived with him long enough to understand the fact that he was always everywhere.
More accurately, he was always preying on everyone, slipping into their darkness and haunting them.
"Going somewhere?" He had asked, and I lazily threw my gaze to him.
"Your rules don't apply to me. I can go anywhere I want."
"That's where you are wrong. My rules apply very much to you."
For someone who was old and close to his grave, he was damn too agile.
"Whatever that gives you peace."
"I'm serious, Asher. Don't you dare touch her. She is off limits for you."
"I have no interest in your new puppet."
"You mean sister." He ground his teeth so hard, a vein popped through his jawline. "Stay away from her."
"Then tell her to stop coming in front of me," I said, rather calm.
"You both live in the same house, how can she not always run into you and not—"
Him.
Jealousy colored his features.
"Jealous?" I snickered. "I can't help it if your little puppet doesn't abide by your rules, Richard."
I left, away from their gaze.
I expected him to lecture her about rules and its consequences.
Luckily, he didn't bore her with that.
What are you really up to?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
WILLOW.
By 6:45 we were all seated at the dining table, as the maid walked in, serving him first.
My gaze found Mom, who smiled back. We haven't spoken in days and barely see each other, yet she wasn't even bothered.
My heart clenched.
The maid hurried to my side, dishing out.
"It's okay." I muttered, yet she didn't stop. Her gaze pinged from Richard to me, then to the plate. "I said it's okay; it's too much."
"You are thin," Stepfather remarked. "That's because you eat little. The food will help you."
"But—"
"Your father is right, sweetheart. You are lean. You should eat to your fullest."
I opened my mouth to protest, but shut it back.
There was no use. Not like my word would change anything.
Quietly we began eating. My gaze frequently peeked at my mother, trying to grab her attention, but she seemed too lost gulping the food.
She looked different. She had this glow in her face, in her eyes. It wasn't about the golden dress she wore that clung to her body, or her blonde hair, which was styled beautifully. Not about the diamond necklace that sat on her neck, which must cost more than a fortune.
She looked happy, genuinely happy. Something I couldn't give her.
I shoved off the thought.
Here wasn't the time or place to crumble.
The door pulled open, drawing our attention to the figure that stepped in: dark hair, green-amber eyes, tall, and a well-built body.
Asher walked in looking effortlessly dashing.
No greetings, no eye contact.
He sat at the other end, while the maid served him.
"What did I say about coming late?"
"I can't remember."
"Honey, please let it be." Mother cooed. "He is just a child."
"He is 24 years old!" I choked on my food.
"Sweetheart."
The maid hurried over and handed a glass of water.
I gulped it down and apologized for the ill manners.
My eyes turned to Asher. He was 24, seven years older. Well, I will be eighteen in five months, so let's just say six years older.
He looked younger, probably twenty-one.
I stilled. If he was twenty-four, then Stepfather must be fifty or above.
"Next time you want to choke," he dragged his gaze to me. "Don't do it over my food." With that he stood, ready to leave.
"I'm sorry."
He left soon after Stepfather stormed out.
Leaving Mother and me in the empty dining room.
Finally, I moved closer. "Mum."
"Yes, sweetheart. I know what you want to say: your brother isn't that bad. He just needs time to adjust. You both will have a good relationship."
"Huh? I... I know, but... it's something else."
Her gaze softened. Worry etched her features. "What happened, sweetheart. Are you okay?!"
"Mum, something is wrong here, with everything. I swear everything seems off."
"You're being paranoid."
"It's not about that." I whispered, kneeling in front of her. "Mum, there are cameras in my room. They are watching me. They are watching us."
"You're being paranoid." She said, her voice shifting from affection to anger. "The cameras are for our safety. What if we get attacked or a robber sneaks in? With the cameras, we can catch them."
Those weren't her words. It reeked of Stepfather's words.
And as for robbing, there was no criminal who was dumb enough to rob a mansion in the middle of nowhere.
"Mum, no one would want to rob a house in the middle of nowhere. I think it was actually meant to spy on us. I think something big is going on. It is not safe here."
"Willow, stop!"
"Mum, I am serious."
Everything began to click: the location of the mansion, the way the maid stared at us with fear and sympathy, the rules, and Asher and Richard's relationship.
Father and son do have disagreements, that I understand, but theirs was different. I could see the malice that darkened their gaze for each other, the tension that expanded through the air once they clashed, the maid who trembled gently. Like a second world war was about to erupt.
Something was wrong.
"So what do you want me to do? Confront him? Tell him we feel like he's a pervert who is spying on us? Or should I up and leave?" She leaned in. "Answer me, what should I do?"
"Mum."
"What did I tell you?!" She whispered, yelling, digging her nails into my shoulders. "What did I tell you before, answer."
"I... I..." Tears trickled down my cheeks. She dug her nails deeper, and I bit back a cry. "It's not... not about me. It's about you... and your happiness," I stuttered.
"You remember. Then why are you trying to take this from me? Why? Haven't I been a good mother? Haven't I always been there for you?" I nodded, suppressing the urge to scream. "Then why? Why are you trying to take my happiness away?"
"I... I just want to protect you."
"That's the same thing your father said, but look at how it turned out," she spat. "Why are you being so selfish?! I don't need your protection." She shove
d me back and stood, glaring down at me.
Then she said, sending the final dagger to my heart: "Sometimes I wished you died with your father."
I froze.
"At least then I would have been happy."